The actor, 70, was saluted in Dallas on Thursday at a ceremony that also recognized the good deeds done by his younger brother, Aaron Norris, 59, a stunt coordinator and producer, the Associated Press reports.

As good-guy Chuck Norris (born Carlos Ray Norris in Ryan, Okla.) told PEOPLE in 1985, just as his movies were making him famous: "Kids need heroes. Call it square if you want, but I'm a flag waver, so I push a lot of Americanism in my movies. Whatever it is I'm doing, people seem to like it." – Stephen M. Silverman